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Chris Morris
Founded: b. 1962 Headquarters: London, UK Website Link(s): Cook'd And Bomb'd Label(s) * WARP Genre(s) * Comedy * Novelty * Spoken Word * Electronica RIYL * Negativland * Monty Python * Aphex Twin Band Biography Chris Morris is a British satirist with a reputation for being rather controversial. However, unlike other folk who are known for controversy, his stuff is not all shock. His career started doing local radio shows, where he'd get in trouble for various pranks, like filling the news room with helium, or asking folks what they'd do in the event of an MP's death (who hadn't actually died, and no where did Morris say that he'd died, but people leapt to that conclusion through Morris' particularly chosen wording). Other works include On The Hour, the earlier radio version of The Day Today, a TV News Show Parody (thought to be the basis for The Daily Show in the US, which also featured Steve Coogan as Alan Partridge among other characters (including Morris' own Ted Maul, who would later show up on Brass Eye); Brass Eye, a sequel-of-sorts to The Day Today – this time a parody of the TV newsmagazine format; Blue Jam, a darkly surreal and absurdist radio series, later made for TV as''Jam'' and Jaaaaam and the short film My Wrongs 8245-8249 and 117; and most recently, the straightforward sitcom Nathan Barley, created with Charlie Brooker based on the latter's TV Go Home site – in particular, the "Cunt" feature. Morris' work is best seen by his willingness to take on dark themes (pedophilia; death; abuse) and hilarious use of the English Language (a quadroplegic on life support is referred to in Brass Eye as "Quadrospazzed on a Life-Glug"; a working title for Nathan Barley was "Box Of Slice"; the opening monologues to Blue Jam and Jam were stream-of-consciousness stories where the language-soup was so thick it was sometimes difficult to extract the whys-and-wherefores of what was going on). Some folks have said Chris Morris' comedy is mean-spirited; it's dark, but not mean-spirited. Unlike most mean-spirited (and less successful) comedy, when his characters are abusive to each other, the effects of the cruelty is felt, rather than shrugged off, giving his characters a sense of dignity and weight; likewise, actors in his work always act as if they're in a dramatic piece – never as a straight comedy series, because from the nature of the type of situations his characters find themselves in – they're never funny to the characters, only to the outside observer. Discography Albums * Blue Jam * Why Bother? (with Peter Cook) EPs * Select Magazine Flexi (includes his Pixies parody, "Motherbanger") * Bad Sex (w/ Amon Tobin) * Bushwhacked (f/ remixes by Osymyso) Appears On Compilations Soundtracks Mix CDs * I'm a Wound and a Sword, A Victim and an Executioner * Dub Club: It's Raining Again - Matt * Hobotic Mixed CDs Volumes 1-5 * Dub Club: Born To Kill - Matt Radio Shows * 50 Skidillion Watts Of Good Will Episode 0 Morris' own radio shows: (All information from here cribbed from the excellent guides available at Cook'd And Bomb'd, the premier Chris Morris site. Go there for LOADS more information on these shows, and often, places to download them to hear the full glory for yourself.) * Blue Jam Series 1 Episode 1 * Blue Jam Series 1 Episode 2 * Blue Jam Series 1 Episode 3 * Blue Jam Series 1 Episode 4 * Blue Jam Series 1 Episode 5 * Blue Jam Series 1 Episode 6 * Blue Jam Series 2 Episode 1 * Blue Jam Series 2 Episode 2 * Blue Jam Series 2 Episode 3 * Blue Jam Series 2 Episode 4 * Blue Jam Series 2 Episode 5 * Blue Jam Series 2 Episode 6 * Blue Jam Series 3 Episode 1 * Blue Jam Series 3 Episode 2 * Blue Jam Series 3 Episode 3 * Blue Jam Series 3 Episode 4 * Blue Jam Series 3 Episode 5 * Blue Jam Series 3 Episode 6 * Chris Morris' First Breezeblock Set * Chris Morris' Second Breezeblock Set * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 1: On paper the show may look like a list of records, but on air it's an activated warhead. It thrives on its profound disregard for its consequences * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 2: Playing records and shouting, and continuing his bid to save the network * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 3: Continuing his bid to save the network * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 4 * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 5 * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 6: The programme that hits the air like a 7-litre Ford Capri driven by a speedfreak mandrill * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 7: Try the new religious quiz, Beat The Bishop * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 8: Chris develops a taste for chocolate starfish * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 9: This week's comic offerings are written by Iggy Pop Barker, Suke Matterhorse, Maypedazz Jones, William Pixies Harness, Hi-There Basilcock and Skingsley Hoopmutton * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 10: This week, Peter Baynham flies Germaine Greer to Dartmouth * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 11 * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 12 * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 13: God Bless Peter Baynham * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 14: Tonight, with a later slot in the schedule, he can be even more outrageous than usual * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 15: Another hour of dangerously anarchic comedy * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 16 * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 17 * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 18 * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 19: With some unsuspecting interviewees and more dangerously anarchic comedy * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 20 * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 21: Including international tannoy contributions from Awilbi Faywed, Aheffbin Fayed and Babayev Rijboerdie - and more unsuspecting interviewees * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 22 * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 23: Pre-recorded 24 hours in advance for the censors but with new profanities added secretly on the day of broadcast to show them who's really in control * Chris Morris Music Show Episode 24 * GLR Show April 10, 1993 * GLR Show May 8, 1993 * GLR Show December 28, 1991 * GLR Show December 26, 1991 * GLR Show Year End Highlights January 3, 1992 * GLR Show January 10, 1992 * GLR Show December 9, 1990 Category: Artists